This is likely a very expensive move on the part of Samuelson/Bates. Shpilband and Zoueva are not cheap at all, especially after the Olympics when their teams now occupy the #1 and #2 spots of the Olympic and World podium. My guess is S/B feels this move is necessary because they have become more or less stagnant in the last two years and being passed by the #2 Canadian team of Crone/Poirier at Worlds must worry them. They haven't really moved up compared to the 2009 season and in fact, except the Olympic Games, their 2010 season has been quite disappointing. The Worlds in Torino wasn't that much better considering 3 top teams were absent compared to Vancouver, 4 if you count K/N.

Would this move work? I think it's a big gamble. If the 2011 season doesn't produce the desired results, this expensive move may prove to be too costly. There are many other teams who will be pressuring them from behind, in addition to the teams ahead of them that they will try to beat. With B/A's retirement, this means the top two US Ice Dance teams will be coached by the same coaches but will Shpilband and Zoueva be able to work the same magic on them as they do with D/W and V/M? If I were S/B, I'd think a change is necessary but whether the high expense/cost involved is justified or not is difficult to say.

This makes me think V/M aren't going to compete competitively for at least this upcoming year as that rink is really getting crowded (not that it wasn't before). I want to say that with Shpilband and Zoueva, Evan and Emily will be able to beat D/W sometime in the not-so-distant future. Interesting that Zoueva's programs really rise above the competition when there's some sort of romantic theme-- something D/W (and C/Z) cannot pull off-- naturally, at least-- for their lives...but even though Evan and Emily are just friends, they are pretty talented at emoting the romantic vibe and I see this working for them like it did for V/M. I see great Zoueva programs for Evan & Emily this year! Especially looking forward to a FD that isn't cheesy

This makes me think V/M aren't going to compete competitively for at least this upcoming year.

Sorry, you lost me. What does that have anything to do with whatever decision V/M will make?

Originally Posted by cornell08

I want to say that with Shpilband and Zoueva, Evan and Emily will be able to beat D/W sometime in the not-so-distant future.

That is highly unlikely. Being coached by S/Z hardly guarantees specific results. The Shibutani were also coached by S/Z but ended up 5th at the Junior Worlds despite being the favorite for Gold. Same goes for the #5 Canadian team. Coach is important but the skaters themselves matter even more. Personally, I don't see in S/B enough physical attractiveness or maturity or unique abilities on ice that make them special enough to sustain a rocket rise to the top and they haven't, which is why they have been stagnant. What they need the most right now is to become a team composed of a man and a woman, not a boy and a girl.

Originally Posted by cornell08

but even though Evan and Emily are just friends like D/W are, they are pretty talented at emoting the romantic vibe. I see great Zoueva programs for Evan & Emily this year! Especially looking forward to a FD that isn't cheesy

They look like a very young team of big boy and a big girl. In Ice Dance, that generally means judges won't take you seriously.

Havn't Evan and Emily trained at that rink the past years? I thought they were actually working with Shipilband/Zoueva already. This is a great move for them, since I think they are a beautiful tram to watch. This does seem to hint that Virtue and Moir won't be returning, i really hope not though. They are so young and so much more to accomplish that cannot be measured in medals alone.

Havn't Evan and Emily trained at that rink the past years? I thought they were actually working with Shipilband/Zoueva already. This is a great move for them, since I think they are a beautiful tram to watch. This does seem to hint that Virtue and Moir won't be returning, i really hope not though. They are so young and so much more to accomplish that cannot be measured in medals alone.

Suggesting that they will beat Davis and White just because they moved to their coach is kind of ridiculous imo. It's along the same lines as saying Volosozhar and Trankov will win worlds next year, or Bobrova and Soloviev will. Such statements I've been hearing are all rather farfetched.

The rink is not big enough to accomodate one more team? Or that S/Z only accepts S/B because there is some sort of opening? Sometimes, I do think some skating fans are way into tea leaf reading, perhaps a little too much. If Mao Asada is going to train with Brian Orser, yes, we can probably infer that Yu-Na Kim is going to retire because the two are close competitors. But S/B are not even on V/M's radar yet. It's a little too far-fetch at this point.

Moreso than Davis and White or Virtue and Moir? All three teams have a youthful vibe, in comparison, say, to Delobel and Schoenfelder. (Or Anissina and Peizerat,or any combination of Grishuk,Platov, Usova and Zhulin. )

About Delobel and Schoenfelder, you don't have to be all lovey-dovey all the time to be "man and woman." Both Davis and White and Virtue and Moir have a lot of "kids playing grown-up" in their performances, in my humble opinion.

Suggesting that they will beat Davis and White just because they moved to their coach is kind of ridiculous imo. It's along the same lines as saying Volosozhar and Trankov will win worlds next year, or Bobrova and Soloviev will. Such statements I've been hearing are all rather farfetched.

"Not so distant future" as in within 2 years. I think thats quite doable.

Usually I wouldn't be in the camp that gets excited that a coaching change means a skater or team will skyrocket-- but S/B have alot of good qualities that just haven't been capitalized with the programs they've been given. Their FD this year was straight out of a Chinese pair team's exhibition and I don't mean that in a good way. Zoueva creates mesmerizing programs and this is something that can be seen immediately, which is why I predict much better results for them this year. S/B are among the best in skating skills, extension and toe point-- they just need coaches who can highlight their good qualities and not mask them in last-decade type programs. They have no intrinsic technique issues, and can be the total package with the right team of coaches. Its not like they've been placing the way they have because they've skated easy programs or skated with flaws-- the programs have just been very blah-choreography and music wise. Here's to the end of elevator music programs for S/B!

Being Canadian , I'd like to point to Allie Hann-McCurdy and Michael Correno as an example, though not everyone here will be so familiar with them . Their improvement since going to Z/S was practically instantaneous, and since they were with them for such a short time, a great deal of their success this year has to be credited to their programs , which were utterly charming and really suited to them. It really makes me excited to see what S/B could have in store for us next year.

If I were Lane& Razgulajevs (sp?), I'd be jumping right to it to get Crone & Poirier the costumes and presentation skills they need and be working Vanessa's shoulders and upper back like mad in the off-season. S/B already have it over them in presentation and costumes and I can't imagine either of those will suffer under Z/S . Technically, they've always been very close , so to me ,it all comes down to S/B solving their FD dilemmas , and C/P the above polishing. The race is on.

Being Canadian , I'd like to point to Allie Hann-McCurdy and Michael Correno as an example, though not everyone here will be so familiar with them . Their improvement since going to Z/S was practically instantaneous, and since they were with them for such a short time, a great deal of their success this year has to be credited to their programs , which were utterly charming and really suited to them. It really makes me excited to see what S/B could have in store for us next year.

If I were Lane& Razgulajevs (sp?), I'd be jumping right to it to get Crone & Poirier the costumes and presentation skills they need and be working Vanessa's shoulders and upper back like mad in the off-season. S/B already have it over them in presentation and costumes and I can't imagine either of those will suffer under Z/S . Technically, they've always been very close , so to me ,it all comes down to S/B solving their FD dilemmas , and C/P the above polishing. The race is on.

Hann-McCurdy/Correno finished 5th at the Canadian Nationals, behind a team who just rose up from the junior rank this year. Not sure this is what I would call a breakthrough considering the Canadian Ice Dance field is getting very crowded with no retirements expected in any of the top teams, as opposed to two retirements among the Top 4 in the U.S.

The fight to make the Canadian World team in Ice Dance would be intense next year, even with 3 spots. Virtue/Moir have their spot reserved being Olympic and World Champions, which is about the only sure thing at this point. The #2 to #5 teams will have to prove themselves on the GP circuit as their international results will have quite an impact on how they would be perceived when the Canadian Nationals take place.

This is what I mean when I said going to Zueva and Shpilband by no means guarantee anykind of results even though it is obviously very expensive. Samuelson/Bates may not have to worry too much nationally because the team ahead and behind them just retired and they look on track to inherit the the spot as the #2 U.S. team. But that could give a false sense of comfort while your competitors, the Russians and Canadians are in fight of their lives at home trying to just to get to the Worlds. Suffice to say, I am skeptical as to how much Zueva/Shpilband can do to transform this team and I continue to question whether the results will justify the higher expenses/sacrifice that is expected.